Since the advent of motorized transportation, one of the most versatile and useful vehicles is the truck. Available truck models include general-purpose trucks and specialty vehicles. General-purpose trucks, also known as “pick-up trucks” enjoy widespread popularity both as a primary means of transportation and for their hauling capabilities.
As is well known, a pick-up truck includes a wheeled frame that supports a drive train and an engine. The engine is covered by an engine compartment or hood, and a passenger compartment or “cab” is provided for the drivers or passengers. An elongated bed extends rearwardly of the cab. This bed is provided as a storage and transportation space for objects to be hauled. Typically, the bed includes a deck or floor having a front wall and a pair of sidewalls. The rear end of the bed is then enclosed by a tailgate which pivots between a closed position and an open position. When in an open position, the tailgate forms a continuation of the floor of the bed.
With the increasing popularity of trucks as a primary vehicle, pick-up trucks have developed into what is referred to as a “long bed” truck and a “short bed” truck. The principal difference between these two trucks is simply the longitudinal lengths that the truck bed extends rearwardly of the passenger cab. Long bed trucks naturally have a bed that is greater in length than a short bed truck.
As noted above, when the tailgate is open, the tailgate forms an extension of the truck floor. While this increases the available floor space upon which objects may be supported, there is no lateral or rear wall portions for the region above the tailgate. Accordingly, should objects be placed on this tailgate region, they would be more readily subject to loss from the truck bed during a transport operation. As a result, there has been recently developed an accessory for trucks called a truck bed extender. Typically, a truck bed extender is in the form of a C-shaped frame that has its ends pivotally supported by means of opposed bracket mounts secured in opposed relation at the ends of the sidewalls of the truck bed. This frame can pivot between a retracted position where it is located within the bed of the truck such that the tailgate may be closed and an extended position wherein it provides sides and an end for the region above the tailgate. When in the extended position, objects can be placed on the extension surface provided by the tailgate and yet retained by means of the c-shaped framework.
Since the bed of a truck is normally open, objects placed therein may be exposed to the elements. For this reason, it is known to provide truck beds with a cover assembly that typically attaches to the sidewalls and to the tailgate. These assemblies, often referred to as “tonto covers” not only provide shelter to objects in the truck bed but also obscure those objects from the view of passersby. Thus, objects in the truck bed are less likely to be stolen or otherwise removed by unauthorized personnel. Where greater security is desired, it is known to provide a truck bed with a locking box that can receive and secure small items, such as tools and the like.
When a tonto cover is used in conjunction with a truck bed extender, however, the tonto cover interferes with the operation of the extender since it is necessary to remove at least a portion of the cover to allow the extender to pivot from the retracted to the extended state. Moreover, the tonto cover does not extend over the framework of the truck bed extender so that objects are now more exposed to the environment and are more subject to unauthorized removal.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to providing a versatile cover which may mount over a truck bed extender. This invention also is directed to the combination of the truck bed extender with such cover assembly.